Family and Brush dear to Stinton's heart

By Lisa Jager Brush News-Tribune Staff Writer

Posted:
01/01/2014 01:00:00 AM MST

Dale and Marilyn Stinton were married for 59 years.
(Courtesy photo)

The City of Brush and his family both held a very special place in the heart of lifelong resident Dale Stinton who passed away last September at age 83.Stinton’s wife Marilyn and daughters Cindy Paulson and Jenni Laverenz recently reflected on his lifelong love of Brush and his family in the Stinton family home across the street from the United Methodist Church of Brush, which was just one of the many Brush entities that Stinton was actively involved in over the years.Paulson said, “He served in every capacity there (the church), the building committee the whole nine yards. Church was very important to Dad, and growing up right across the street there was no excuse to be late to church.

Lifelong resident Dale Stinton was involved in many organizations in Brush throughout his life and won numerous awards pictured here. (Lisa Jager/News-Tribune)

”Stinton also was a 50-plus year Rotarian, served on the City Council, the American Legion and the boards of the Brush Museum, the Chamber of Commerce, the East Morgan County Hospital and more.Marilyn said, “People knew that they could call him if they wanted something done.” Paulson added that people knew to “ask the busiest person and that was Dad and he always said yes. He was as a leader throughout his life.”He served as the City of Brush historian and had a lifelong passion for history, sparked by his family beginning their lives in Colorado by homesteading near Flagler. He became interested in military history when he served overseas in the Korean War.

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He was instrumental in establishing the Brush Museum and Cultural Center and serving on its board and, over the years, made many presentations at the museum’s monthly sack lunch programs.He also worked with the Colorado Historical Society to obtain historical designations for some of Brush’s downtown buildings and helped obtain grants to restore buildings.Paulson said her dad was an advocate for Brush throughout his life.“He loved every type of involvement he had from employment to working with the church, the school, the Boy Scouts – everything,” she remarked. “You probably couldn’t name any project that Dad was not involved in.”“He was so involved in the community because he didn’t think of Brush as just as a place where he lived. This was his town and these people were all like family. He believed that the advantage of living in a small town is that everyone contributes to the community."For many years, Stinton wrote a weekly column for the Brush News-Tribune called A Bit of History and in 2012 published a book called “A Bit of Brush History.” He dedicated the book to Marilyn saying, “To Marilyn who has been my inspiration and the love of my life ever since we met in high school typing class in 1946.”The way Marilyn remembers, it was love at first sight – “He was sitting right behind me and we knew from the very first moment.” Following high school, the pair went to different colleges and Dale served in the U.S. Navy for three years. He and Marilyn were married in 1954 and had three children – Cindy, Jenni and their son Carter.Paulson said of her Dad, “the most important thing was his family.” Some of Paulson’s favorite family memories are of the time spent at their family cabin in Nederland and their annual family vacations. “It started with a planning session,” Paulson said. “Dad would spread maps out on the table. Then we would plan trips and when the time came we would get in the station wagon and go somewhere for a week or two every summer.”Paulson recalled going canoe backpacking on the Boundary Waters in Minnesota, where the family canoed with their backpacks on board and camped on the islands at night. She said, “We even took the dog with us.” In addition to the family trips, Marilyn and Dale traveled to each of the 50 states and all over the world. Paulson said her Dad also was an avid photographer, taking photos and notes during their travels, which he used to give presentations about his trips to various groups both in Brush and other areas.Paulson added that her Dad “also loved music and was an accomplished musician” and sang in the church choir along with the rest of the family. When she was a teacher, Paulson said he would play music at the school for the students using his collection of a dozen types of flutes.Laverenz recalls her Dad’s love of sports and how her parents never missed any of their children’s games and also attended as many of their grandchildren’s games as they could. “They never missed anything,” she said.She shared a story of her parents attending one of her daughter Abby’s college basketball games. She said her daughter was a freshman and a little nervous about the game. She recalled how the coach kept standing up and yelling at Abby. “By the third quarter Dad got tired of this,” she said. “He stood up and said would you yell at somebody else.”The coach called a timeout and ended up telling Abby that’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard.”Paulson added, “Dad knew everything about every sport. He played all growing up through high school.” Dale was an all state basketball player and captain of the football team.Paulson said the entire family of gathered together for “every special occasion,” including holidays. This was the family’s first Christmas without Dale, and they decided to celebrate i t in a special way.Following the new travel restrictions after Sept. 11 prohibiting items such as pocket knives from being carried on board, Dale and Marilyn began purchasing one each time they got to their destination on one of their many trips. Marilyn gave one to each of the 19 family members when they had their Christmas gathering in early December. Each family member also received a Colorado Buffalo pin from Dale’s alma mater, the University of Colorado.During the Christmas gathering, Paulson also read a letter that Dale had written to Marilyn in 1954 when he was serving in the Korean War. They found the letter, which reflects his deep love for Marilyn and how much he missed her at the time, following his death “in a dresser drawer full of lots of special treasures.”“We were really glad to be together and honor Dad and include him in the day,” she said.The family get together also was special for another reason. Celebrating his first Christmas at just three weeks old at the family gathering was the newest Stinton addition to the family, baby Emmet Dale Hobbs, named after his great-grandfather. The family wasn’t sure if baby Emmet would make the gathering as it was held during the recent cold snap in Colorado. Following Dale’s death the Stinton family gave money to the United Methodist Church of Brush to renovate the fellowship hall. Paulson said a dedication for the revamped hall was held during their Christmas gathering and attended by the entire family.“The hall is nicely renovated and is used for lots of celebrations and meetings,” she said. “It’s nice to have done something in honor of Dad that so many people can enjoy.”

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